Former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath is revered in the cricketing world for his extraordinary bowling skills that left some of the best batting line-ups worldwide in disarray during his prime. As time passes, cherished memories and untold incidents resurface, and one such intriguing tale came from the 2005 Ashes series, as recounted by veteran cricketer Michael Vaughan. The former England captain shared a captivating anecdote about McGrath’s peculiar injury during that series.
Glenn McGrath’s injury at Edgbaston – Ashes (2005)
Australia held a 1-0 lead in the series when McGrath suffered a critical injury during the warm-up before the second Test at Edgbaston. In an unfortunate turn of events, the right-arm pacer inadvertently stepped on cricket balls, leading to a stumble that resulted in the rupture of two ligaments and damage to his ankle bone.
The absence of McGrath proved pivotal as England capitalized, winning the two Tests that the latter missed and ultimately securing the Ashes with a 2-1 triumph that year. It is noteworthy that crackerjack played a significant role in the series opener, claiming nine wickets, including a five-wicket haul.
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Michael Vaughan’s revelation on McGrath’s injury
Recently, during a podcast on YouTube, Vaughan, who was leading the English side during Ashes 2005, made a hilarious revelation on McGrath’s injury. The 49-year-old funnily took the credit for placing the ball on which the Aussie seamer stepped at Edgbaston and suffered the injury. He also revealed the happiness throughout the English camp when they learned about McGrath’s absence from the upcoming game. Interestingly, McGrath was also connected on the podcast alongside Adam Gilchrist.
“People used to talk about my captaincy; I used to manage the players well; you’re very good at getting the culture right. It was positioning that ball at Edgbaston. It was genius. We knew exactly where he was going to be. We studied it a day before. We knew McGrath at 9:24, and honestly, I’ve never seen an England side; you would not have noticed soon as seeing Glenn on the stretcher. We were jumping around high-fiving.!,” Vaughan said while speaking on the podcast of Club Prairie Fire.
